Notes and Editorial Reviews

Good Night, Good Night, Beloved! represents some of the greatest late-19th century hits performed by the Montreal Mendelssohn Choir during its 30-year history (1864-1894), according to Schubert’s album notes.

Sung unaccompanied, these songs tell their stories over multiple verses, each set with a certain amount of musical variation. The emphasis is on clearly expressing the text, underlining its emotional shifts in the music and, in most instances, using the voices as orchestral instruments. The 13 professional voices are nicely balanced, blended and shaped under Schubert’s expert direction.

- Musical Toronto

This recording pays tribute to the Montreal Mendelssohn Choir, a pillar of city's musicalRead more life for three decades in the late 19th century. What began as a small group of friends and family became a 120-voice choral society whose annual concerts were a highlight on English Montreal’s cultural and social calendar. Audiences flocked to hear their friends sing a cappella with unified tone and choral discipline. They venerated Joseph Gould for the new sonic experience he offered. After the Choir disbanded in 1894, its library was donated to McGill University. All of the pieces on this CD except “Goodnight, Goodnight, Beloved!” come from that collection.

VivaVoce was founded in Montreal in 1998 by Peter Schubert. The awardwinning ensemble is committed to performing classical music from all periods and to developing the art of Canadian choral music by commissioning at least one new work each year. Read less